Ordering a retrial of Terrance Craig, who was convicted of being a felon in possession of a firearm after his involvement in a high-speed shootout, the Sixth Circuit ruled that the government had no legal basis to show the jury an unadmitted video exhibit depicting a masked person rapping and holding a firearm.
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A crew of Rolls Royce-riding identity thieves who posed as rap industry figures scammed more than $100,000 from some of the South’s most exclusive hotels, prosecutors say.
Read moreRapper Damon Dash sued Entertainment One Reality Productions in L.A. Superior Court, claiming it broke its promise that it would not make his son drink alcohol while filming the series “Growing Up Hip Hop.”
Read moreA woman claims in federal court that hip-hop producer Jamal Rashid aka Molly Mall drugged and sexually assaulted her at his house, giving her what doctors called “injuries consistent with a rape;” Rashid pleaded guilty to prostitution-related charges last year.
Read moreThe Benedictine Sisters of the Sacred Heart sued Daniel McLoyd aka IceJJFish for invasion of privacy, trespass and emotional distress, claiming the rapper broke into Our Lady of Lourdes Grotto to film a video featuring dancing and inappropriate language, in DuPage County Court, Ill.
Read moreA Philadelphia police officer claims in federal court that Meek Mill, Roc Nation, Jay-Z, et al. defamed her in a documentary, “Free Meek.”
Read moreA photographer claims Damon Dash, a co-founder of (nonparty) Roc-A-Fella Records, sexually assaulted her at his home during a photo shoot, in federal court.
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R. Kelly pleaded not guilty Wednesday to a new Brooklyn indictment that charges the rapper with paying bribes so that Aaliyah, the hip-hop ingenue who died in a 2001 plane crash, could get a fake ID to marry him when she was just 15.
Read moreActress Sharon Stone sued aspiring Chelsea Chanel Dudley pka Chanel West Coast in federal court, claiming she violates trademark in a song called “Sharon Stoned.”
Read moreRaymond Price sued Southwest Airlines, claiming it fired him for recording his own hip-hop song, “Pocket Full of Change,” on his own time, because it contains, in the airline’s opinion, “derogatory language,” in Alameda County Court.
Read moreCarlton Ridenhour, pka Chuck D, a founding member of Public Enemy, claims Reach Music Publishing and Terrordome Music Publishing defrauded him of more than $1 million over the years, in L.A. Superior Court.
Read moreAdding to R. Kelly’s pile of legal troubles, the R&B star was hit with federal sex crime charges in two jurisdictions this week.
Read moreHundreds of people including a presidential candidate spoke out on Twitter this week after a 17-year-old black youth was killed at suburban Phoenix convenience store, by a white man charged Tuesday with first-degree murder who said he felt threatened by the boy’s rap music.
Read moreA federal judge granted default judgment to LL Cool J, a rapper whose real name is James Todd Smith, enjoining concert promoter Guerrilla Union from using the trademark “Rock the Bells.”
Read moreNipsey Hussle, the skilled and respected rapper who earned a Grammy nomination this year for his major-label debut and was greatly respected in South Los Angeles where he grew up, has been shot to death, authorities said. He was 33.
Read moreShawn Cotton no longer drives his $55,000, bright pink Corvette to work because he’s afraid it could get him killed, like his friend. But there are two things he won’t leave home without: his bulletproof vest and the 9 mm pistol he slips into his pocket.
Read moreA sweater manufacturer is crying foul in federal court over the NBA’s attempt to honor Notorious B.I.G., claiming the league and retailers appropriated copyrighted designs that the late rapper popularized.
Read moreSuing under the name Trevor George Smith Jr., rapper Busta Rhymes claims in court that Rasheem “Bubba” Barker skimmed half a million bucks from booking fees.
Read moreTwo cameramen sued R&B singer Akon in Michigan state court, claiming members of his crew held them at gunpoint and forced them to hand over music video footage to avoid paying them.
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